Exercise devices have long been a mainstay of the home and institutional exercise equipment market. One advantage of exercise devices is that they can be used when inclement weather prevents outdoor exercise. A stationary exercise cycle is a common example of such exercise devices. With a typical stationary exercise cycle, a user sits on a seat, holds onto a set of handles or a handle bar, and pedals with his or her feet.
In order to provide variety during an exercise routine, the user can increase or decrease his or her pedaling rate at various times during the exercise routine. This can be done by increasing or decreasing the amount of effort the user uses to pedal or by increasing or decreasing the pedaling resistance provided by the exercise cycle. Additionally, many stationary exercise cycles are pre-programmed with one or more exercise routines that automatically adjust the pedaling resistance at various time intervals during the exercise routine. Adjusting the pedaling rate and/or the pedaling resistance can allow a user to achieve a workout suitable for the user's fitness level and goals. More recently, some exercise cycles have been equipped with tilting capabilities that enable the exercise cycle to tilt forward, backward, or side-to-side. Such titling can more closely simulate the experience of riding a bicycle in the outdoors by replicating the feel of riding up and down hills and around corners.
Many exercise cycles include a console to allow a user to view exercise program information and input or select different exercise programs and/or features. Such consoles typically allow a user some degree of interactivity and tailoring of device features, such as speed, incline, and resistance. In some cases, the consoles can also provide entertainment (e.g., television, video, internet) to a user during use of the exercise cycle.
To accommodate users of different sizes and having different preferences, many exercise cycles are adjustable. For instance, the seat or handles/handle bar can be adjusted up and down or forward and backward. However, many of the mechanisms used to adjust the exercise cycle are complicated, difficult, and time-consuming to manipulate.
Examples of various adjustable exercise cycles are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,358,418, 9,044,635, 8,827,871, 7,771,325, and 7,364,533.